Olympic or not?

Of the 477 events organized in Paris in 1900 as part of the International Physical Exercise Competitions*, only 95 were subsequently approved by the IOC. Whoever wants to claim the title of “Olympic sport” cannot claim to be. Looking at contemporary rankings, it must be admitted that certain disciplines do not fail to amaze.

Among the sports recognized by the IOC, several will only make a brief appearance. Thus Basque pelota, which officially saw the French and the Spanish compete in 1900, was presented as a demonstration in 1924 before almost completely disappearing. Indeed, few countries practice this throwing of a ball against a wall. But Olympic is said to be a “universal” game.

A similar fate will be reserved for croquet. In Paris, registration for this event is paid and the participants are exclusively French. In 1904, in Saint Louis (USA), castling established itself as its American variant but it too quickly disappeared from competitions.

No better for cricket. “So British”, this sport attracted English people to Paris in 1900 on a demonstration tour who faced the only opposing team made up of French and English expatriates in the capital. The first will be victorious (without knowing that they participated in an Olympic event) but we will not see cricket again at the Games (until its return scheduled for 2028 in Los Angeles).
More surprising but just as ephemeral, the “200 m with obstacles” requires swimmers to cross a horizontal bar, go over a row of boats, then swim under another row of canoes. Perched on the boats, the members of the jury fail each time to tip over into the Seine where the event takes place.

Finally, shooting (of which Coubertin was a great fan) carved out a place of choice in 1900: war rifle shooting, running deer shooting, running wild boar shooting, pigeon shooting, etc. were among the official Olympic sports. They reflect contemporary practices, bellicose and/or reserved for an elite*.

This is also the case for numerous events on the program of the 1900 International Competitions which, however, are not recognized by the IOC but attract hand-picked competitors. Among these, the balloon competitions (aerostation) relate to the flight duration (the winner wins in 35 hours), the maximum altitude (8417 meters), the maximum distance (1925 km for a Paris-Kiev).

Motoring, in demonstration, aligns the French flagship manufacturers of the time: Panhard Levassor, Renault, Peugeot, Delahaye, De Dion Bouton who present two-seater carts, four-seater touring cars, delivery cars (gasoline and electric!) and even trucks. Also in motor sports, boat competitions distinguish the length and mode of propulsion (steam, oil) of the ships.

Attracting more of a working population*, angling brings together 600 competitors and 22,000 spectators around the Ile aux Cygnes, in the middle of the Seine. Petanque, typically French, brings together 216 players.
As for the pigeon racing competition, in addition to the pigeon releasing competitions, it is an opportunity to show the usefulness of these birds in the context of war: launched from Paris, they carry photographic dispatches reproduced and presented in Vincennes where ballooning activities are gathered.
In the same vein, if crossbow shooting, extremely popular in the North, differs from the more aristocratic shooting mentioned previously, cannon shooting events are exclusively reserved for soldiers who find it a good opportunity to practice. Individual firing, field battery firing and siege battery firing follow one another, but the public (fortunately) is not invited onto the field…

Finally, less anecdotal than “barrel rolling”, and more utilitarian, a series of tests sees the firefighters compete against each other. Their boldness and prowess are judged in competitions for fire pump operations, water rescue and first aid for injured civilians and soldiers.

The “greatest number*” to which international competitions seem intended turns out, in fact, to be rather kaleidoscopic, like the sporting practices of the time.